The 2017-2018 Game
Relic Recovery
Western Georgia League Tournament | January 27, 2018
After a hard four-month season of robot development, testing, notebook writing, and frequent competitive meets with the other teams in the Etowah League, the Eagle Robotics teams reached their first major hurdle on January 27, 2018. This was the League Tournament, the first elimination event of the season. Both teams approached the tournament with one goal in mind: take home a top award and advance to the next tier of competition, the state championship. While the teams played over thirty matches throughout the season, it all came down to three final matches that day to determine who would advance to state. After one intense match, Team 7373 Carbon Fiber came out in the lead. But in the second round, the other alliance came back with a vengeance to take a close win and tie the elimination bracket. A final match would be played. The referee counted down to start the match. “3...2...1...robots!” The game began, and both alliances burst into action. After a grueling two minutes and thirty seconds, the result was finally clear. Team 7373 Carbon Fiber won by 150 points, allowing them to advance to state.
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Team 11364 Diamond Plate, likewise, had worked tirelessly throughout the season to develop a capable robot but also to document everything they did as a team in their Engineering Notebook. All of this preparation, spanning months of tireless work, such as finishing up meeting notes late at night, came to fruition during the awards ceremony. Team 11364 had received the Inspire Award, the highest award in the competition, allowing them to also advance to state.
Georgia State Championship | February 24, 2018
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Following long months of preparation for the League Tournament, both Eagle Robotics teams only had a month to prepare for the Georgia State Championship. This work included notebook improvement and the development of new systems, such as the glyph rotation mechanism developed by Team 7373 Carbon Fiber. Starting early in the morning at Clayton State University on February 24, 2018, both teams competed through a tiring day of matches to end up in the robot game semifinals. Teams 7373 and 11364 ended up on opposing alliances, resulting in a battle between the sister Eagle Robotics teams. Team 11364 Diamond Plate took the win in an intense first match. The subsequent match was just as energetic as the first, with Team 7373 as the victor this time. It all came down to the final match to decide which Eagle Robotics team would earn a spot in the finals and a chance to advance to the Super-Regional Championship. The match started with the roar of the announcer and teams signaling their robots to autonomously whirl into motion. To the crowd, this match was the epitome of teams putting forward their all. The final buzzer sounded, ending the match. When the dust settled and scores were tallied, the TV flicked to the results, showing that Team 7373 was moving onto the finals. After two hard-fought finals matches, the other alliance’s robots proved superior and won the robot game.
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The awards ceremony was the final place at the competition that the teams could reap the rewards of their long hours of preparation and be recognized for their efforts. At the end of the day, Team 7373 Carbon Fiber walked away with the Rockwell Collins Innovate Award, which commended the team’s “innovative and creative robot design solution...in the FIRST Tech Challenge game.” Team 11364 concluded their day with a positive spirit for not only earning the way to the state championship but for remaining competitive throughout the State Championship.
The Teams
Team 7373 | Carbon Fiber
Team 11364 | Diamond Plate